It takes service, dedication and respect to merit the dedication of a building in the honor of J. Charles Lee, the 17th president of Mississippi State University. On Friday, Lee was recognized at a dedication ceremony for a special building that now bears his name. 
The J. Charles Lee building boasts 40,000 square feet and is located on Creelman Street between Dorman Hall and McCarthy Gymnasium. The building replaces the smaller, 1950s-era Howell Engineering Building still in use located near the Humphrey Coliseum. 
Mark Keenum, president of MSU, gave remarks on the ceremony and introduced Lee as the honoree. 
“I want to thank and welcome all of you as we dedicate one of the most outstanding academic facilities here on our campus and to honor the man who is most responsible for us having this outstanding building here,” Keenum said.
Keenum spoke at length about the events leading up to the funding and construction of the building.     Jerry Gilbert, current provost and former head of the agricultural and biological engineering department, said he approached Lee about renovating the Howell building where the department was housed. Gilbert said he was quickly told he needed an entirely new building. 
Keenum said he identified that moment as Lee’s call to action. 
“And then Dr. Lee went to work. He went to work trying to persuade the legislature to do the right thing, to see his vision, to provide the funding necessary to make this building a reality,” he said. 
 George Hopper, dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, mentioned the details for the funding Lee worked to achieve for the new building. 
“On April 19, 2003, the governor signed a bond bill of $4.75 million for the ABE building. Dr. Lee was the president. The next year, November 24, 2004, during an extraordinary session, the governor signed another bond bill for $4.75 million, totaling $9.5 million, and Dr. Lee was the president,” Hopper said. 
Lee   gave   heartfelt remarks of gratitude for the honor he received. 
“The thought of having my name on a facility that will enhance the future for thousands of students and develop technologies to help continue to lift up this state fills me with tremendous pride,” Lee said.
Lee said the significant impact of agricultural and biological engineering will help the university and Mississippi to continue as an academically competitive institution. 
“The exciting  potential for this department to add more value to what Mississippi produced so well from this farm and forage land coupled with the disciplinary partnering of [agricultural] engineering, agricultural and biological sciences is in my view the best of the modern land-grant vision,” he said. 
At a ribbon-cutting ceremony held on Nov. 10, 2007, the university officially opened the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Building. At the conclusion of the present ceremony, a new sign was unveiled revealing the building’s new name: the J. Charles Lee Agricultural and Biological Engineering Building.